Herr Mannelig(Средневековая скандинавская народная баллада)
Sir Mannerlig
Early one morning before the sun did rise And the birds sang their sweet song The mountain troll proposed to the fair squire She had a false deceitful tongue
Sir Mannelig, Sir Mannelig won't you marry me For all that I'll gladly give you You may answer only yes or no Will you do so or no
To you I will give the twelve great steeds That graze in a shady grove Never has a saddle been mounted on their backs Nor had a bit in their mouths
To you I will give the twelve fine mills That stand between Tillo and Terno The mill stones are made of the reddest brass And the wheels are silver-laden
To you I will give the gilded sword That jingles from fifteen gold rings And strike with it in battle as you will On the battlefield you will conquer
To you I will give a brand new shirt The lustrous best for to wear It is not sewn with needle or thread But crocheted of the whitest silk
Gifts such as these I would gladly receive If you were a Christian woman But I know you are the worst mountain troll From the spawn of Necken and the devil
The mountain troll ran out the door She wailed and she shrieked so loudly \"Had I gotten that handsome squire From my torment I would be free now\"
Sir Mannelig, Sir Mannelig won't you marry me For all that I'll gladly give you You may answer only yes or no Will you do so or no
This ballad is known in many different versions and with different melodies to the lyrics. A mountain-troll falls in love with the handsome knight Sir Mannelig, and offers him all kinds of gifts if he will marry her. Sir Mannelig refuses since she is not, after all, a Christian and honorable woman.